Manage Appeals
Petition Type: New
ID: 3870
Submitted: October 4, 2017 at 5:41:53 PM
First Name: Hannah
Last Name: McClean
Student Number: 10197053
Email: hannah.mcclean@queensu.ca
Degree Program: BAH
Plan: SOCY
Level of Study: 3
Petition Categories
Petition Categories: Waive the 21-day or one term deadline
Petition Letter
Petition Letter: To the Associate Dean of Studies,
My name is Hannah McClean and I am writing this letter to you to appeal the one term deadline so that I may submit a subsequent appeal to drop two classes that I took during the Fall semester of 2016 past the academic deadline.
I was unable to submit an appeal within the one term deadline due to several extenuating circumstances that were beyond my control, which included both personal health issues as well as the death of my grandfather. I was diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder as well as Generalized Anxiety Disorder at the end of my first year of studies here at Queen's (Winter, 2016). During the Fall semester of 2016, both of the disorders that I was dealing with became much more severe and my mental health deteriorated, which in turn negatively impacted my academic ability and performance in all of my courses. The effects of these illnesses made it very hard for me to leave my room on most days as well as to focus for extended periods of time, which in turn impacted my ability to attend class or complete assignments on time. I therefore started regularly seeing a doctor and began taking medication so as to aid in my recovery. I also made the decision to only take three courses in the Winter semester of 2017 so that I could ease back into my academics while at the same time focus on recovering from my personal health struggles.
I made an appointment to see an academic advisor during the Winter 2017 semester so that I could start my appeal for the Fall 2016 classes which I wanted to drop within the one term deadline, and take control over my academic future. I had started to write my appeal before the exam period and was set to get medical documentation to support my letter, but was unable to complete it as I was faced with several additional extenuating issues that arose within the same time period. I was still coping with the detrimental effects of the mental illnesses that I was facing, and was forced to stop taking the medication that I had been prescribed due to adverse side effects. During this same time period my grandfather Gerald Speight fell critically ill and was admitted to the hospital in an Intensive Care Unit where he was put on life support. He did not recover from this sickness and passed away at the end of the Winter semester. This had a severe impact on myself as well as my family, which sent me into another depressive episode. The combination of these events that were ongoing in my life had an extremely serious and negative impact on my personal health, which rendered myself incapable of completing my appeal during the allotted time frame.
After having to return home to Toronto following my grandfather's death, I attempted to get the medical documentation I required from Queen's Health Services but was informed that my doctor had moved to a different institution and that I needed to return to Kingston to see a different doctor for another diagnosis. This was not possible for me as once I had recovered enough to start work during the summer I was away from home full-time, and it was not possible for me to be given the adequate time off to make the trip to Kingston. I was also unable to see a different medical professional as I was in a remote town working at a camp with limited time off and no access to transportation. Therefore, it was not possible for me to see another doctor until I returned to Kingston to start school for the current semester of Fall 2017. Immediately after returning to Queen's I made an appointment with Queen's Health services and received the proper medical documentation that was needed so that I could write and submit my appeal as soon as it was possible. I would like to thank you in advance for your consideration on this matter.
Sincerely,
Hannah McClean
My name is Hannah McClean and I am writing this letter to you to appeal the one term deadline so that I may submit a subsequent appeal to drop two classes that I took during the Fall semester of 2016 past the academic deadline.
I was unable to submit an appeal within the one term deadline due to several extenuating circumstances that were beyond my control, which included both personal health issues as well as the death of my grandfather. I was diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder as well as Generalized Anxiety Disorder at the end of my first year of studies here at Queen's (Winter, 2016). During the Fall semester of 2016, both of the disorders that I was dealing with became much more severe and my mental health deteriorated, which in turn negatively impacted my academic ability and performance in all of my courses. The effects of these illnesses made it very hard for me to leave my room on most days as well as to focus for extended periods of time, which in turn impacted my ability to attend class or complete assignments on time. I therefore started regularly seeing a doctor and began taking medication so as to aid in my recovery. I also made the decision to only take three courses in the Winter semester of 2017 so that I could ease back into my academics while at the same time focus on recovering from my personal health struggles.
I made an appointment to see an academic advisor during the Winter 2017 semester so that I could start my appeal for the Fall 2016 classes which I wanted to drop within the one term deadline, and take control over my academic future. I had started to write my appeal before the exam period and was set to get medical documentation to support my letter, but was unable to complete it as I was faced with several additional extenuating issues that arose within the same time period. I was still coping with the detrimental effects of the mental illnesses that I was facing, and was forced to stop taking the medication that I had been prescribed due to adverse side effects. During this same time period my grandfather Gerald Speight fell critically ill and was admitted to the hospital in an Intensive Care Unit where he was put on life support. He did not recover from this sickness and passed away at the end of the Winter semester. This had a severe impact on myself as well as my family, which sent me into another depressive episode. The combination of these events that were ongoing in my life had an extremely serious and negative impact on my personal health, which rendered myself incapable of completing my appeal during the allotted time frame.
After having to return home to Toronto following my grandfather's death, I attempted to get the medical documentation I required from Queen's Health Services but was informed that my doctor had moved to a different institution and that I needed to return to Kingston to see a different doctor for another diagnosis. This was not possible for me as once I had recovered enough to start work during the summer I was away from home full-time, and it was not possible for me to be given the adequate time off to make the trip to Kingston. I was also unable to see a different medical professional as I was in a remote town working at a camp with limited time off and no access to transportation. Therefore, it was not possible for me to see another doctor until I returned to Kingston to start school for the current semester of Fall 2017. Immediately after returning to Queen's I made an appointment with Queen's Health services and received the proper medical documentation that was needed so that I could write and submit my appeal as soon as it was possible. I would like to thank you in advance for your consideration on this matter.
Sincerely,
Hannah McClean
Documentation
Professional Letter: Lasalle letter.tif
Document: GS Death Certificate.jpeg
Document: Mackenzie Health.jpeg
Decision Letters
Amendment to Appeal 3870
Relevant Petition: 3870
First Name: Hannah
Last Name: McClean
Student Number: 10197053
Email: hannah.mcclean@queensu.ca
Degree Program: BAH
Plan: SOCY
Level of Study: 3
Petition Categories
Petition Categories: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Code: SOCY 275
Term: Fall
Year: 2016
Petition Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Code: SOCY 210
Term: Fall
Year: 2016
Petition Category: Drop a course after the academic deadline
Petition Letter
Petition Letter: To the Associate Dean of Studies,
My name is Hannah McClean and I am currently in my third year in undergraduate studies at Queen¿¿s University. I am presently majoring in Sociology, and I am appealing to drop the courses SOCY 210 as well as SOCY 275, both of which I was enrolled in during the Fall semester of 2016 at Queen¿¿s.
I am appealing to drop these courses because during my first and my second year of studies at Queen¿¿s I was diagnosed with several mental health issues which had a severe impact on my academic performance. After greatly struggling through first year, but still managing to attain acceptable grades, I was diagnosed with both Major Depressive Disorder as well as Generalized Anxiety Disorder at the end of the Winter semester of 2016. As I had never experienced any form of mental health issues before, I was extremely overwhelmed and unprepared to deal with both of the illnesses that I was facing. I was also unaware of the implications and severe effect that my illnesses were having on me at the time. During the Fall semester of 2016, both of the disorders that I was dealing with became increasingly serious and my mental health deteriorated significantly, which in turn negatively impacted my academic ability and performance in all of my courses. The combination of the effects of these illnesses made it very hard for me to leave my room on most days as well as to focus for extended periods of time, which made completing my course requirements exceedingly difficult.
As the mental illnesses that I was battling had an extremely negative impact on my grades and academic ability, I realized that I needed to take further steps to help myself cope and heal in my process of recovery. I dropped two of my courses before the academic drop deadline in order to lighten my course load from a full-time to part-time student, so that I could focus all of my efforts on recovery and the grades of the remaining classes that I was in. I did not want to drop my classes entirely because I feared that my health would become worse if I had nothing to focus my time and energy on, but I incorrectly assumed that I was well enough for school as I was still in denial about the extent and severity of my mental illness. Although I was trying my hardest to succeed academically, I came to the conclusion that I needed to focus on recovery before I could properly fulfill my academic obligations at Queen¿¿s.
Therefore, I started to see a doctor regularly and began therapy as well as medication towards the end of the fall semester. Although I was trying my best to get better while still managing my academic commitments, I was unable to do this for several reasons. First, I was still adjusting to the medication that I was prescribed and was dealing with the various adverse side effects that were associated with it. This, along with the ongoing effects of my illnesses, greatly impacted my ability to attend class, complete work on time, as well as complete and attend exams. The work I did manage to complete and hand in was far below the standards of my academic ability as it was severely impacted by the state of my mental health.
Although I was presented with great psychological difficulties in the past, specifically in my last year of school, I am now on track to recovery both mentally as well as academically. I currently taking a different medication and regularly attend therapy meetings with a counsellor in Kingston so as not to relapse again. I am also presently enrolled in both SOCY 210 and SOCY 275 this semester as I have a strong interest in both courses, and am deeply saddened that my mental health prevented me from completing both courses in the previous year. Additionally, I have met with several academic advisors this semester to discuss my future at Queen¿¿s as well as strategies for how I can succeed despite my setbacks. My education at Queen¿¿s is very important to me, I and am strongly considering pursing a degree in graduate school once I have completed my undergraduate degree. I am currently working to the best of my ability to ensure that I am striving to succeed academically while still maintaining good health, and I thank you in advance for your consideration in regard to my appeal.
Sincerely,
Hannah McClean
My name is Hannah McClean and I am currently in my third year in undergraduate studies at Queen¿¿s University. I am presently majoring in Sociology, and I am appealing to drop the courses SOCY 210 as well as SOCY 275, both of which I was enrolled in during the Fall semester of 2016 at Queen¿¿s.
I am appealing to drop these courses because during my first and my second year of studies at Queen¿¿s I was diagnosed with several mental health issues which had a severe impact on my academic performance. After greatly struggling through first year, but still managing to attain acceptable grades, I was diagnosed with both Major Depressive Disorder as well as Generalized Anxiety Disorder at the end of the Winter semester of 2016. As I had never experienced any form of mental health issues before, I was extremely overwhelmed and unprepared to deal with both of the illnesses that I was facing. I was also unaware of the implications and severe effect that my illnesses were having on me at the time. During the Fall semester of 2016, both of the disorders that I was dealing with became increasingly serious and my mental health deteriorated significantly, which in turn negatively impacted my academic ability and performance in all of my courses. The combination of the effects of these illnesses made it very hard for me to leave my room on most days as well as to focus for extended periods of time, which made completing my course requirements exceedingly difficult.
As the mental illnesses that I was battling had an extremely negative impact on my grades and academic ability, I realized that I needed to take further steps to help myself cope and heal in my process of recovery. I dropped two of my courses before the academic drop deadline in order to lighten my course load from a full-time to part-time student, so that I could focus all of my efforts on recovery and the grades of the remaining classes that I was in. I did not want to drop my classes entirely because I feared that my health would become worse if I had nothing to focus my time and energy on, but I incorrectly assumed that I was well enough for school as I was still in denial about the extent and severity of my mental illness. Although I was trying my hardest to succeed academically, I came to the conclusion that I needed to focus on recovery before I could properly fulfill my academic obligations at Queen¿¿s.
Therefore, I started to see a doctor regularly and began therapy as well as medication towards the end of the fall semester. Although I was trying my best to get better while still managing my academic commitments, I was unable to do this for several reasons. First, I was still adjusting to the medication that I was prescribed and was dealing with the various adverse side effects that were associated with it. This, along with the ongoing effects of my illnesses, greatly impacted my ability to attend class, complete work on time, as well as complete and attend exams. The work I did manage to complete and hand in was far below the standards of my academic ability as it was severely impacted by the state of my mental health.
Although I was presented with great psychological difficulties in the past, specifically in my last year of school, I am now on track to recovery both mentally as well as academically. I currently taking a different medication and regularly attend therapy meetings with a counsellor in Kingston so as not to relapse again. I am also presently enrolled in both SOCY 210 and SOCY 275 this semester as I have a strong interest in both courses, and am deeply saddened that my mental health prevented me from completing both courses in the previous year. Additionally, I have met with several academic advisors this semester to discuss my future at Queen¿¿s as well as strategies for how I can succeed despite my setbacks. My education at Queen¿¿s is very important to me, I and am strongly considering pursing a degree in graduate school once I have completed my undergraduate degree. I am currently working to the best of my ability to ensure that I am striving to succeed academically while still maintaining good health, and I thank you in advance for your consideration in regard to my appeal.
Sincerely,
Hannah McClean
Documentation
Professional Letter Detail: Documentation submitted with prior appeal
History
Originally submitted October 4, 2017 at 5:41:53 PM.
| Field | Reference | Old Value | New Value | Note | User | Date/Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| status | N/A | Received | Prepared for Review | Carrie Roosenmaalen | 2017-10-05 9:05:21 AM | |
| status | N/A | Prepared for Review | In Review | Spring Forsberg | 2017-10-05 2:55:53 PM | |
| status | N/A | In Review | Granted | Spring Forsberg | 2017-10-16 3:55:17 PM | |
| associate_dean | N/A | Jill Atkinson, Ph.D. | Spring Forsberg | 2017-10-16 3:55:17 PM | ||
| decision_letter | N/A | N/A | Decision letter sent | Spring Forsberg | 2017-10-16 3:55:44 PM |